is ready, and it seemed very interesting to me. I'm playing the role of an "incomprehending reader" and must judge the clarity of the exposition on "markets," I try to be as "incomprehending" as possible, but I can't find anything particular to criticize. It's terribly strange that we haven't heard a sound from the écrivain about the book—we think it's gone under. In general, the post lately has been the most wretched. Yesterday we had a good laugh. Besides the newspapers, there was nothing, and mama started accusing the postman of maliciously concealing letters, us of giving him too little for tea, our acquaintances of sheer egoism, and again us of begrudging money to the postman while squandering it uselessly; we rode out to Kurnatovskii's the day before yesterday—and for what? We only hindered the man from his work and ate his dinner. It ended with all of us laughing, and the unpleasant feeling that always comes with a meager post disappeared. We rode out to Kurnatovskii's at some point—he works at a sugar factory, about twenty versts from us. It was a Sunday, and although cold, the sun was shining from a beautiful blue sky, so we set off. We dressed completely for winter—Volodya in a fur coat and felt boots, and I was bundled up in a "family" fur coat, I disappeared into it head and all. Kurnatovskii turned out to be terribly busy; he has no holidays, works twelve hours a day—we actually tore him away from his work, but it was only good for him, and we did indeed eat his dinner. We inspected the sugar factory. The director displayed extraordinary courtesy toward "distinguished foreigners" (despite the fact that Volodya in his felt boots and winter trousers looked like a giant from "Tom Thumb," and my hair was all standing on end from the wind). He tried to justify the poor conditions under which the workers have to labor, himself started conversations on this subject, and extended his courtesy so far that, despite all his elegant and well-groomed appearance, he rushed to hand Volodya a stool and dust it off. I nearly burst out laughing. Kurnatovskii will come to visit us in a month; perhaps Basil and Tonyechka will stop by sometime too. I don't know if Volodya wrote you that both Basil and Gleb are requesting transfers to Nizhne-Udinsk, where they've been offered engineering positions.

Now through the Tesintsy we're using the Minusinsk library, although it's very meager in character. But there are plenty of books. Anyuta asked me at some point what

* The trip took place on October 11, 1898. Ed.